How much should I feed my dog?

Many people will provide different types of answers based on their experience with their own dogs.

However, the scientific facts relating to the feeding habits of dogs need to be given due consideration before making any decision about the amount of food a specific dog should be fed.

From Puppy to Old Timer!

Usually, puppies should not be separated from their mother before they are eight weeks old. However, sometimes orphaned puppies may exist and these poor unfortunate pups must still be fed.

The rule of thumb is that puppies should be fed the equivalent of five percent of their body weight. However, this percentage can vary depending on the different size of each dog.

If you are unable to weigh the pup and make an informed calculation about how much food to give it, you can make your decision based on how full the pup’s abdomen looks. If you feed the puppy without giving any thought to the animal’s size and the appearance of it’s stomach, your puppy may experience some kind of stomach upset often leading to diarrhea.

A puppy suffering with these types of problems will cause many inconveniences to the owner as well as to the puppy. Unlike adult dogs, puppies will need to be fed on a frequent basis with obviously smaller amounts. However, once the puppy starts to grow, the amount of food given may be increased to some extent but the frequency of feeding will need to be decreased in tandem.

A dog on a raw diet should consume only two to four percent of their body weight. You will need to closely observe the feeding pattern and condition of the dog. If the dog becomes obese, just reduce the quantity of food and if the dog becomes thin, then increase the level of feeding.

As mentioned earlier, puppies and adolescent dogs eat more often than adult dogs. Likewise the geriatric dog will need to eat less than an adult dog due to the fact that the reduced movement of an old dog will mean fewer calories burned.

You should also remember to lower the amounts of protein included in the diet of aged dogs.